What the Spurs and Cavs said after Saturday’s game

Here’s a sampling of the post-game quotes from both locker rooms after San Antonio’s 116-92 victory over Cleveland.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

(On Tiago Splitter’s game tonight)

“Tiago did a real fine job, he’s very fundamentally sound and he’s efficient. He’s always in the right place either defensively or offensively. He knows where he’s supposed to be. He’s a pretty smart player.”

(On the chemistry between Tony Parker and Splitter tonight)

“Tony has been doing a great job of running the show. He’s finding different people and I’m sure it’s fun for him to find Tiago rolling to the basket the way he does.”

(On why it was necessary tonight to play Tiago Splitter)

“I wanted to sub out starters quicker in the first half and save minutes for the second half, depending on what went on. We were able to do that in the first half. So we cut the minutes for Tony and Manu (Ginobili) and Timmy (Duncan) in the first half. The bench did a good job of keeping us in the game”

(On if Duncan’s minutes being held at 24 the past two games is ideal)

“I hope so. We didn’t want to play him in the thirties for two nights in a row that’s for sure; anything less than that is a good thing.”

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili

(On the reason for the hot start to the season)

“I really don’t know because it’s not that we started so strong. In the second game, we lost at home, a game that we should have won. But after that, we started making shots, we won a couple games in the last minute that we should have won earlier. I remember the Clippers and the Rockets here, but we won them anyways. Then we started playing better and we had our best win in Utah. Now we’re on a roll, so we’re happy about it. We need wins early this year compared to last year when down the stretch in March and April, there was a lot of pressure on us because we needed those wins to qualify for the playoffs.”

(On the Spurs’ season-high assists)

“Tony was the main guy. He was impressive today, but everybody is attacking, kicking, and we’re making shots, too. But again, it’s not easy to have like 32 assists out of 42 field goals, so that means we’re not just playing one-on-one ball. We’re dishing and distributing and that’s great for everybody.”

Spurs forward Tim Duncan

(On the amount of minutes he played)

“Tiago got some great minutes tonight and played great and so I didn’t have to be out there for too long. It’s an ideal situation and I wish I made more shots, but I’m happy with how we played tonight.”

(On the winning streak)

“It’s a great run for us and a great start. There’s going to be some ups and downs this season. I think this team is really built on what we did last year. We have guys on the same page right now and we’re comfortable with each other. Defensively, we’ve been improving and I think we’re as solid as we’ve been in a couple years now. Offensively, I think we’re really spreading it around. Manu and Tony played unbelievably. Richard (Jefferson) is shooting the ball great and we have a number of guys playing great on different nights. It’s just good consistency throughout.”

Spurs forward Tiago Splitter

(His opening statement)

“We did a pretty good job on defense, especially in the second half. We didn’t let them score easily and everybody had good play so that the starters could rest and be ready for the next game.”

(On getting some playing time tonight)

“I was ready for my chance to play and I played my best tonight. I used pick and rolls, set good screens, played defense, and that’s it.”

(On if Manu helped him get ready tonight)

“Manu, the assistant coaches, and everybody did. It’s not easy. You come here and everything is new and I’m just trying to adapt.”

(On the chemistry between him and Tony Parker)

“He’s a very good pick-and-roll player. I just tried to set a good screen-and-roll to the basket. He always reads the play well and he found me a lot of times by myself so I could score.”

Cavaliers coach Byron Scott

(On the game)

“I think the biggest part was just the fact that all the little things we talked about on the defensive end that we emphasized this morning didn’t happen tonight. The Spurs aren’t going to beat themselves. We gotta make sure we take away a lot of the easy buckets and things like that. We didn’t do a very good job on the defensive end… Record wise, we basically played the best two teams in the last two nights, so we’ve got a long way to go.”

(On the Cavs’ defensive problems)

“It’s execution and a lack of communication. We’ve got to do a much better job with communicating, stick to the game plan, and do things like switch on the (Matt) Bonner pick-and-roll. We left him with those wide-open threes. I don’t know if that’s a lack of focus as well, but that was the game plan that we talked about.”

(On the fourth quarter)

“I just thought from an execution standpoint we just didn’t do the things we talked about. I thought it was a good opportunity to play against a very good basketball team.”

(On Tiago Splitter’s performance)

“I thought he (Tiago Splitter) played very well. I knew he was a very good basketball player, but I didn’t expect him to come in and play the way he played.”

Cavaliers guard Mo Williams

(On the “New Look” scoring Spurs…)

“They’re running a lot more. They’re shooting a fair amount of 3-pointers. I don’t remember them shooting a lot of 3-pointers. They don’t feature Tim as much as they have in the past. They’re more of a perimeter-oriented team now. They’re playing at a high level though. They’ve got guys that are coming in and can step it up. Tim has got years under his belt and they’re taking a lot of pressure off of him. I think the thing that makes them great is that Tim is accepting that. He’s a professional and you can tell he does. He relishes those guys…Tony and Manu…they kinda carry him and he’s turned into kind of a role player.”

(On setting the tone early)

“Right out of the chute we were pushing the pace. We’re a running team, especially against a good defensive team. You don’t want to set up. You want to keep them on their heels and try and get as many easy baskets as possible. On the defensive end we just fell short with some communication errors and them just making plays. We’re a good basketball team. We just have to leave this game and look forward to Tuesday.”

(On their mistakes being correctible)

“You’re going to have breakdowns each and every game. Against the good teams you want to minimize them. The big games we’ve won and the big games that we’ve been close in, you can’t make many mistakes and we didn’t in those games. Against some teams you make some mistakes and they don’t make you pay for it. Tonight, going into this game, we knew they would make us pay for the mistakes. They’re not going to beat themselves. We’ve got to be solid. We made some mistakes and showed our youth at times. They showed their veteran status and did a lot of things well.”

Cavaliers forward Antawn Jamison

(On the difference between this year’s defense for Cleveland and last year’s)

“It’s a transition. First of all you’ve got players that were here that aren’t here. We have a whole different scheme. The thing about it is that we’ve shown signs of doing it. Our biggest problem is that we haven’t been consistent doing it from game to game. It really shows, especially playing a team like [the Spurs] tonight. This is a team whose identity is totally different than what you have seen in the past. This team is really out-scoring teams. I think they’re first or second it scoring this season. You’ve got to be able to communicate. You’ve got to be able to be in your spots. Defensively you’ve got to win games against teams like this.”

(On playing New Orleans and San Antonio back-to-back)

“They are the two best teams in the league right now. [The Spurs] are playing at a high level. They’ve got players who have been in the system for awhile. They’re playing at an All-Star level. In the past they’ve been a great team at home and so far this season there’s nothing different. We knew it was going to be a challenge and we wanted to use these two games as a measuring stick. We showed signs, but we’re just not consistent enough for 48 minutes to be able to compete against these two teams these last couple days.”

(On seeing Splitter for the first time)

“I heard about him. I’ve seen a couple games. He’s a great talent. He fits in well with these guys. Anytime you’ve got a guy that can come in and hold his own on both ends of the floor, he’s definitely going to flourish in this system with Popovich coaching and Tim, Manu, and Tony as his teammates. He’s playing phenomenal basketball.”